


Skaters

by KyeTamm



Category: EXO (Band), Hunhan - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-23 15:39:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2552804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeTamm/pseuds/KyeTamm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun loved ice skating more than he loved breathing. It was a given - Something that he knew since the moment he could process actual thought. But he was also struggling with a strong obsession that threatened to take over his life. Something that he couldn't ignore, despite his attempts to. </p><p>And then someone steps into his life. Somebody who he finds himself hating but loving at the same time. Somebody arrogant and cocky and extremely overwhelming; Luhan. He comes in, </p><p>And everything changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notagirlgamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notagirlgamer/gifts).



> Just a little note - I don't actually follow the Exo fandom. 
> 
> But this is strictly a personal thing. I did this for a friend. And holy crap, I hope she likes it cause I had no idea what I was doing but I did it anyways.

 

 

His life was ideal. Only because he had dedicated it to the sport he had loved for the longest time since he could properly form thought.

Skating was no longer a hobby. It was no longer a form of entertainment. It was no longer just about getting good and earning money to help stabilize the family finance.

It was about him. His love for skating.

And today, everything was about to change following his enrollment to the greatest skating academy in the district – Wheaton Ice Skating Academy in Wheaton, Illinois. It'd been his dream since he could remember. And now it was finally coming true. The very thought excited him and exhilarated him to no end.

He stood in front of the mirror, poised nicely, with a wide grin and bright brown eyes ready to take on whatever stood in his way. He reached up to comb through his silver-dyed hair, and took in a breath.

“Okay,” He said, albiet a little nervously. “I can do this.”

From downstairs, he heard the front door opening, and a masculine voice greeting his mother.

“Good morning!” The voice said. “Sehun ready yet? Or is he, like usual, being a giant, notorious lazy ass?”

Sehun snorted from upstairs and yelled, “It's better than being an obnoxious scrumbag, Kai!”

He heard a laugh, followed by some quick footsteps on the wooden floors of his two-storied house. Soon enough, Kai joined him upstairs wearing a black jacket over a spotless white dress shirt and long dark jeans. He took a pause at the top of the stairs, gave Sehun an amused once-over, and smirked.

“You gettin' married or something, being all dressed up like that?”

Sehun hesitated and looked down at his attire – A plaided long-sleeve dress shirt over a black T, along with black pants that rolled by his ankles. “No one gets married in this.”

“Yeah but you never dress up like that.” Kai said, amused, as he leaned against the railing of the stairs.

Okay, so he had a point there. “So I wanna make a good impression, so what?” Sehun laughed and grabbed the brown leather messenger bag from the floor that his dad got for him before leaving two years ago. It was a momentous gift, one that he wouldn't trade anything for. Despite him hating his dad for leaving the family.

“Well, for starters,” Kai said. “You look like a major moron wearing that on the first day. You _know_ we're gonna skate. And we're definitely not gonna skate in that.”

Walking past him and down the stairs, Sehun ran his left hand over his platinum hair and shot Kai a half-menacing half-amused glare. “You're one to talk. Who skates in jeans?”

“Only the best.” Kai said, placing a finger on his chest. “Ie, me.”

“Idiot.”

Sehun made his way downstairs, with Kai following closely behind, and met his mother with a small smile and nod before leaving towards the door. From behind, he could just barely catch Kai's disblieving chuckle at the short display of awkward affection.

“Two years, Sehun.” He whispered. “You could at least hug her, y'know.”

Sehun paused for a moment, before shaking his head. He said nothing, but Kai understood. He understood despite having heard no words. Because even silence could talk.

And his silence talked a great deal.

They made their way down the common road towards the train stop where they'll take the North Express to Wheaton Ice Skating Academy, all the while exchanging small talk about the latest gossip in their large group of friends and how they planned to enchant the superiors of the academy with their 'top-class' skating sills. Kai, of course, though unfortunately, was the better skater. Although in terms of speed and agility, Sehun far outmatched him. Kai was only good for his technique. Which Sehun had attempted to imitate for so long now. To no luck, unfortunately.

They got on the train, standing side by side next to the door with their hands around the grippings above them. The seats were taken. At this time of the day, people were busy trying to get around the city to work or school, it'd be a miracle if they found a seat in the chaos.

“So you got any idea who our coach's gonna be?” Kai asked, breaking the short silence that enveloped since entering the train.

Sehun shook his head, his gaze faced down towards the ground. “Who knows? Could be anyone.”

Kai inhaled softly, before shrugging. “I got a hunch.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Could be one of our seniors from back in the skating camp.”

Sehun shoved a hand down his pocket. “Skating camp?”

“You don't remember?” Kai glanced at him shortly, before turning his gaze back forward. “Well, it wasn't exactly 'skating camp'. It was the camp for Youth Winter Sport Players. Anybody who participated in winter sports were allowed to join. Including hockey players, snowboarders, skiiers –”

Sehun's eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Yeah, I remember that. We went to the Ski Snowstar place at Andalusia, right?”

Kai nodded, grinning. “Exactly.”

“That was like five years ago.” Sehun said, looking over at him suspiciously. “You remember people from back then?”

Kai rolled his eyes. “It doesn't take photographic memory to remember stuff from five years ago, Sehun, you're just shit at remembering stuff.”

“Am not! I remembered your birthday last year!” Sehun exclaimed, offended.

“And did you remember it anytime before that?” Kai mused.

A short silence commenced. Sehun hung his head, sighing, and turned away.

“Whatever.”

Kai, smug at his victory from the extraneous argument, reached a hand out to place on top of Sehun's head. Sehun, in return, shook it off and shot him a glare. “We had a few seniors there. 19 or 20 years old. There was one ice skater, I'm pretty sure you remember – badass and extremely skilled – but I forgot his name.”

Sehun's heart stopped. He knew. Oh God, did he know.

“Oh yeah? I don't think I remember.” An innocent white lie. It didn't amount to anything, he told himself. As if he could admit to knowing of his existence, of his memory. The very thought burned a sharp mark onto his chest, as if claiming him, and devouring his insides with a feeling so sharp and painful he could only contain it, not remove it.

What was this, he wondered. He couldn't even tell.

“Well, whoever it is” Kai said. “I think we're in a hell of a year. Getting accepted is one thing. _Staying_ accepted is another.”

Sehun kept quiet, but he agreed. Staying in Wheaton Ice Skating Academy was going to be a deleterious journey. One that he knew he was going to enjoy every step of the way, even if he fell to the ground with his body shaking and refusing to move another inch. He was adamant. Nationals was his goal.

Moments passed without either exchanging words. In a blind second, Kai pressed his elbow against the side of Sehun's body, catching his attention with a sharp increase of pressure.

“Hey,” Kai whispered, leaning in close to Sehun's ear. “Isn't that guy from the YWSPC too?”

Sehun, though hesitantly, turned his head. He refused to admit to the dread pooling in his gut at the idea of 'that guy' being the boy who had made him feel so weird all those years ago. Even so, he looked. Because his curiosity won over his dread.

Standing just a few feet away, with his hand shoved into his pocket, and another hand holding onto the gripping above him similar to the way Sehun and Kai were standing, stood a boy with sun-kissed brown hair weaved to the side of his face. He was staring at his iPod, scrolling through a list of songs, no doubt, with a nonchalant, impassive expression on his fair, immaculate face.

Sehun felt his body react strangely. It was, at first, a burst of warmth. One that he hadn't expected. But it soon went away, replaced instead with a feeling of intense emotion – Anxiety.

“Luhan.” Sehun muttered, rolling his eyes. “Of all the places to bump into him.”

“Well technically,” Kai mused. “You _didn't_ bump into him. You just saw him.”

“Shut up, Kai.”

Kai leaned over to inspect the boy 'Luhan'. “So, how old is he?”

“19.”

“Schooling?”

“I don't know.”

Kai smirked. “You seem to know a lot about him.”

Sehun shot him a look. “I just said I didn't know!”

“Uh-huh.” Kai straightened his back, and poised himself in such a way that made Sehun a little annoyed. The way he was smiling smugly – Oh god. “Maybe we should go say hi.”

“We should definitely _not_ go say hi.”

Kai laughed. “A little rattled up, aren't we?”

Sehun scoffed. “Sorry but I definitely don't wanna go say hi to a major dick who's constantly undermining my skating ability.”

“I had no idea you two still keep in contact.”

Sehun looked over at Kai, only to watch his face break into an wicked smile. How satisfying it would be to punch the hell out of him right now –

“Well, whatever.” Kai said, chuckling and turning away. “We're almost there. You best get your head in skating right now. Cause we both know how tough first days are.”

“My head _was_ in skating.” Sehun huffed, rolling his shoulders. “Till you brought up Mister Arrogant over there.”

“If he's arrogant, you must be overwhelmingly so.”

“Shut up.”

Kai laughed once more. Sehun wondered silently why they were friends. But he knew. Deep inside, he knew all too well. Despite being unnervingly sarcastic and overwhelming, Kai meant well in everything he did. He was pure-hearted, or, at least that was what people thought of him to be. Sometimes, though Sehun hated to voice it out, he had no idea what went on inside Kai's dense head. He was too intelligent for his own good. And it scared him to think that maybe Kai wasn't who he sought out to be.

Minutes passed before they finally reached their destination. By this time, Sehun's heart had already begun pumping loudly in his chest. The closer he got to the academy, the harder his heart beat. He was so excited – so anxious – for classes to begin. To start skating again in that beautiful glazed ice floor.

He felt no other obsession so strong.

The train stopped with a small jerk. The passengers who were standing all tipped forward slightly from the force. Sehun saw, from the corner of his eye, Luhan looking up from his iPod and scanning his surroundings. He shoved his iPod into his jacket pocket and turned around to face the opening doors. Despite his initial hatred for the boy, he couldn't deny the warmth that disseminated within him as a ray of sunlight streaming in from the train doors hit a spot in Luhan's face, and illuminated his entire being.

Sehun's breath almost caught, had it not been for the sudden realization that hit him harder than his feelings did. He shook the feeling away and hurriedly exited the train, leaving behind Kai, who watched him go with confusion.

It would be an understatement to say that what he was feeling was unnatural. After all, he and Luhan had been archenemies for as long as he could remember.

That little hockey-playing bastard was never once _nice_ or in any way benevolent to Sehun.

So then why did Sehun have to feel like _this_ towards him?

It was the insanity in his chest that bothered him the most. The feelings of lust and want and longing for something, _someone_ , who he shouldn't be longing. And the worse part was that it didn't entirely focus on just one person. It focused on several. Sehun was a polygamous succubus trying to find someone to feed off of – A dark entity whose living is the sole purpose of leeching.

He could laugh at himself, had he not been in public.

Sometimes he wondered how he managed to get such an ideal life. Ice skating kept him sane, he decided. It kept him stabilized.

Kai caught up to him soon, despite his initial struggle to get past the overwhelming crowd of people now swarming into the train.

“Hey.” He said, breathlessly. “What's the hurry?”

Sehun hesitated. “Just excited, I guess.” That was one-part of the truth.

He approached an intersection. He was so distracted – so lodged into his own thoughts – that he hadn't noticed a boy coming in beside him and turning at the same time he did. Their skin made contact, before their eyes did.

“Sorry.” Luhan mumbled before realizing who he had bumped into. When he turned, and saw Sehun standing before him with his face pulled into a sour expression, his eyes widened in a mix of shock and amusement. “Well, look who it is.”

Sehun groaned inwardly. “Luhan.”

“Sehun.” Luhan laughed. “Didn't notice you before. Were you in the same train I was in?”

“Doesn't matter,” Sehun grumbled, walking forward to avoid further conversation.

Unfortunately, Luhan was as persistent as he was arrogant. He caught up soon enough, and unlike Kai, he had no trouble doing so. “So, where you headed to?”

“Well, it's actually none of your concern.” Sehun said.

But Kai, no doubt responding for the sole purpose of making Sehun uncomfortable, said, “Wheaton Ice Skating Academy.”

“Kai!” Sehun snapped.

Luhan's face broke into a grin. “So you actually got in? Amazing. I always thought a delicate flower like you would never get picked.”

A supercilious laugh escaped Sehun before he had a chance to stop it. “Delicate flower?” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “And who was the one who bawled like a baby when he fell from his skates and hit his nose on the ice?”

Luhan laughed. An almost... frosty sound. “It was five years ago. Leave the past behind.”

“You're one to talk.” Sehun grumbled beneath his breath.

“What's that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Aren't you curious to where _I'm_ headed?”

Sehun stiffened. “No, why would I be?”

Luhan shrugged nonchalantly. “Cause you're that kind of guy – always poking into other people's lives.”

Kai shamelessly interrupted with a chuckle. “Oh,” He mumbled, looking at both Sehun and Luhan. “Sorry.”

“Just so you know,” Sehun said, turning away and forcing himself to take wider steps. “You're _one_ person who I absolutely hate and am not curious about.”

Luhan took a moment to register his words. His expression broke into one of disappointed shock. Sehun had barely managed to catch it, before it disappeared, and was instead replaced by a look that he more commonly wore – nonchalance.

“Pity.” He smiled – almost coyly, almost knowingly – and leaned in closer to Sehun's ear. The contact, almost suddenly, sent a jolt down Sehun's back. “But I don't believe it.”

With a wicked smile, he brushed past the slightly shorter boy and made his way out of the station, disappearing in a flash of light beyond the crowds of people on the streets before them. Sehun reached up to shield his eyes from the light of the sun before stepping into the open air. Kai followed closely behind.

“Well, that was something.”

Sehun shook his head. “That asshole.”

Kai laughed. “You two have insane chemistry.”

“Shut up.” Sehun muttered. “We have no chemistry whatsoever.”

“Oh yeah? I beg to differ.”

“You think I have chemistry with every cute guy out there.”

“Ah,” Kai said. “So you think he's cute?”

Sehun pulled away at the realization, glaring at Kai causticly with as much fire as he could muster. “Don't be stupid! I never said that.”

“No, but you implied it!” Kai chuckled childishly, before linking arms with his long-time friend, ignoring the fact that his face was turning red with rage and humiliation. “You're too easily disturbed, Sehun.”

He kept quiet, despite his heart pounding quietly underneath his chest.

He knew that it held no meaning. Kai was only kidding around, it was what he did everyday. Despite that though, he couldn't shake the feeling off – The insane lust towards that hockey player was driving him nuts. It wasn't emotional. Not exactly. Sehun could tell that what he felt was only skin deep, as it was always.

But...

This feeling –

Fuck, he couldn't place it.

It felt like his chest was on fire, and his heart was burning. 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

Sehun's body was tingling with an unquantifiable amount of excitement and anticipation. To be completely honest, beneath his confident exterior there laid irresolution. He was unsure of how to go about the first day tryouts. There were two things you had to do upon acceptance to Wheaton Ice Skating Academy. The first, was to showcase your abilities in the ring with a five-minute routine of your own planning. The second, was to pass a test they've specifically written for this very purpose.

Most would say it was a bullshit system. After all, weren't you already accepted into the school to begin with?

It didn't seem like that was so. Because for the first week, the 'trial week', every student was at the threat of getting kicked out of the program.

The trial week was basically eliminations.

Sehun heard that more than half the students from the previous year were kicked out. The very thought – Shit, to be kicked out on the first day of his acceptance would be unimaginable.

It would destroy him.

He took a breath, straightened his back, and waited for his coach to enter the arena where he, and about 20 other students, were waiting.

Kai joined him after a minute, leaving a conversation with a female skater a few steps away. “So,” He said, exhaling slowly. “Looks like everyone's scared shitless.”

“Yeah, I can see why.” Sehun shook his head, denying Kai his gaze in fear of exposing the weakness he was trying so desperately to hide. “I don't think anyone actually knew we had to pass two freaking tests before  _actually_  getting accepted.”

Kai chuckled softly, rolling his arms forward. He peered over his shoulder at the few students behind him who seemed to be leering over at their direction. Jealousy was a precarious poison. And a competitive attitude only fueled it. “A lot of these guys look dangerously aggressive. I'm actually a little scared for my life here.”

“You?” Sehun scoffed. “As if you should be worried. You were the best skater in the YWSPC – Everyone  _loved_  you.”

Kai shrugged and said, “Doesn't mean these guys will. A camp and an academy are very different institutions.”

“Uh-huh,” Sehun muttered. “You're gonna wow their pants off and leave me standing here not knowing what to do.”

“I'm not that bad a friend, am I?”

“No, you're right. You're worse. You're gonna wow their pants off, get some cute guy's number and  _then_  leave me standing here not knowing what to do.”

Kai laughed and tapped the back of Sehun's back gently, throwing him a cool, but definitely amused, smile. “Have a little bit of faith in yourself, Sehun. You have no idea how good you actually are.”

Sehun was just about to respond to that – to say that Kai was a lying bastard who was just trying to make his friend feel better – before the giant door to the office swung open. And between their thresholds stood two men and one woman who all looked like they were at their early 20's, holding onto a bundle of sheets and clipboards and folders. The first man – he looked the oldest – wore a black snapback backwards over his short brunette hair. He was talking to the woman, who stood at about 5'5 ft with curly blonde hair that reached the small of her back. They both looked almost surreal. They just had this aura – this aura of absolute power over the icy floor.

But the one that really caught Sehun's attention, so powerfully and so suddenly, was the last man – who looked to be about 21 years old. He stood almost half a head taller than the older man, with tousled brunette hair, and dark brown eyes. His outfit – a black long-sleeved dress shirt rolled up at the elbows and dark trousers – only served to highlight the darker edges of his appearance with an almost...

An almost obsessive look.

Sehun didn't wanna believe it; But there he was. So real and so much like he remembered.

Chanyeol.

The skater who stole his heart all those years ago.

“Good morning!” The oldest man exclaimed, his powerful voice reaching to the ends of the arena. He handed the woman his clipboard and folders and addressed the students with a bemused expression lacking of warmth or compassion. This guy meant business. “You're all here today for one reason and one reason only. And that's to prove to me that you're not all useless piece of shits who got into this school out of pure coincidental  _luck._ ”

Sehun shivered inwardly. From the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw the ever-so-confident Kai swallow.

“If you think we give pity points for 'trying' or being a good sport, then you're out of luck. Cause we're not that kind of academy.” The man's back got straighter (if that was even possible) and when he spoke, everybody in the room focused directly and solely on his words. “My name is Xiumin.” He said. “And welcome to Wheaton Ice Skating Academy.”

It was that feeling of cold wind; A fast splash of icy waters. It scared Sehun, but exhilarated him, at the same time. This guy definitely had a way with words. It was something that not even Kai could resist, a pumping upbeat of fear and trepidation that wracked his body with vibes. Nervousness, some would call it. Sehun rather thought it was more like –

A want to prove his worth.

A want to destroy everybody else.

Or maybe that was only him. Maybe that was his overbearing want for dominance taking over. Something that grew from within his polygamous attitude.

“Wow.” Kai muttered softly, waving it off with a short chuckle. “Intense.”

“Yeah.” Was all Sehun managed to say.

“This is Luna.” Xiumin gestured to the woman beside him, who looked up at the mention of her name. “She's gonna be your wardrobe and style coordinator. As we all know, ice skating isn't just about how well or how fast you do in the ring. It's about technique and style and charm.” He said. “And Luna will help you to bolster what you already know.”

Sehun, and the rest of the students, nodded tentatively.

Luna was the one to speak next. She eyed each rookie carefully, with a look of deliberation, and when she spoke, she did it with her gut. You could tell she'd been through something horrible.

And survived through it.

“You may think all this first day talk is just for scares,” She said, shrugging. “And I don't blame you. But you have to understand that neither I nor Xiumin are bullshitting you. The Ice Skating world is tough – More so the occupation. If you wanna get in and get in big, you're gonna need dedication. Dedication and something else.” She and Xiumin exchanged a glance. One that Sehun admitted, scared him to no end. “S _kill_.”

Sehun held his breath.

_You should just give up on skating. Not everyone was blessed with the skill._

He forced his eyes shut for a moment to rid the memory away. It wasn't something he should be thinking about. It wasn't even something he should be remembering. But he did. He did, clear as day, and it bothered him and made him feel lost and insecure despite his conspicuous confidence in his abilities most other times.

It was a sickness he failed to cure, a plague he couldn't exterminate, a disease that etched itself across his body like a mark, claiming his soul as its own – A vessel of remorse and destruction.

That was what it was.

Would it be unrealistic to call Sehun a devil? A child of a demon who failed to override the mendacious programming that set him up as a human being. He thought that maybe he wasn't sane after all. That maybe he was on the borderline of cracking.

Xiumin and Luna parted to make way for the last boy who stood behind them, hands shoved into his pockets, waiting for a chance to voice out what he'd been preparing for the last few hours now. He looked up expectantly, addressed both his superiors with a small nod –

\- and smiled.

Sehun's heart was caught completely off-guard.

“I'm Chanyeol, a skater.”

“That's putting it mildly.” Xiumin mumbled sarcastically.

Luna rolled her eyes and said, “This kid has been a part of the top international skaters league for three years now. He is, by far, the most skilled skater under the age of 25 that I have ever met.”

Sehun could hear Kai scoff lightly beside him. It was almost inaudible, but that was only because Sehun failed to hear anything over the insane pounding of his heart.

“Oh, come now.” Chanyeol gushed, grinning like a wildcat that had just caught its dinner. “No need to make me blush. I'm trying to be modest here.”

“Modest my ass.” Xiumin exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “He's gonna be your coach for this semester. We're just gonna test the waters and see how he does. Most probably, Luna and I are gonna be the ones to help with your training  _most_  of the time.”

“But,” Luna said, raising a finger. “Chanyeol is the perfect example for young skaters like you. I want you to watch him and  _learn_.”

Sehun could hardly think – he could hardly breathe.  _He_  was going to be their coach for the semester?! Sehun was already having trouble dealing with the emotional stress of seeing him in person again after all these years, now he had to see him everyday and bear with the horrible feeling pooling in his gut at the thought of Chanyeol's skin touching his?

This was definitely not how Sehun had planned to start his school year.

“Good, now that we've got the introductions out of the way,” Xiumin clapped once. Loudly. “Get changed! Part one of your evaluation starts  _now_.”

Sehun didn't argue. Neither did anybody else. The whole group turned around and shuffled into their appropriate locker rooms. Sehun and Kai followed the group of murmuring boys into the medium-sized room, not once exchanging a word or glance as they headed straight towards their designated locations. Sehun searched the rows of lockers for his name and upon finding it, pulled the handle open. Inside was a white shirt and pants, a matching pair, with simple new cyan blue ice skates and a towel. He grabbed the clothes and stripped of his own.

While doing so, he forbade himself from allowing the heat that had disseminated throughout his tense body to overthrow his rationality. The sight of Chanyeol's face again was one thing – But now he was stuck in a boys locker room where everybody was stripping and changing into their new attire. Being ice skaters meant that you had to keep fit. Every boy in that room looked enticing to him.

He couldn't help but feel that rush of heat rise up his lower torso.

He hated what he felt.

After all, who would enjoy feeling this desire for pleasure every day for almost every single good-looking guy out there?

It was, as said before, a sickness that he failed to cure.

“Hey,” Kai approached, touching his elbow. “You alright? You look a little red.”

Sehun blinked through his discomfort, attempting to see past the mist of lust clouding his better judgement. He turned and eyed Kai's bare body, now free of its covering.

“Yeah, no, I'm–” He turned, forcing his gaze to focus only on the towel in front of him. He felt his whole body drip with heat. “I'm fine.”

Of course he wasn't. But he couldn't say that. The reason was too confidential, too unnatural.

Why had he grown up like this? What was the influence that forced the growth of this dangerous flower inside of him? He could hardly remember when or why the seed was implanted; All he knew was that now it had bloomed, and its roots had grown far too entangled within his body to ever be weeded out.

He finally managed to get into his new clothing, with the constant reminder that ice skating was what he should be focusing on, not the hot boys changing around him. He grabbed the ice skates and slammed his locker shut.

“I'm heading out.” He quickly said to Kai.

Before the latter could respond, he brushed past him and hastily made his way outside. The first thing he felt when he burst through the double-doors was the cool sensation of ice over his body and face. The feeling was so relieving. He let go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and took a few steps forward towards the ring. The sight of that icy floor again – All he wanted to do was skate. Skate and forget that he ever had that horrible chemical reaction towards Chanyeol's face. Forget that his heart and feelings and emotions were boiling at the memory of his words whispered into his ear, speaking of forbidden things he'd long for in the dense silence of the night, evoking a strong reaction in the regions of his body he denied himself to care for.

He took a breath, just one, and reminded himself that those times were in the past. Chanyeol probably didn't even remember him anymore.

“I never thought I'd see you again.”

Sehun's heart flew up to his throat. His emotions reacted, before his mind did. And as his gaze fell onto the mysterious dark figure of a man with the looks of an angel, he felt the air in his body go void and the blood in his veins go hot.

“Sehun.” Chanyeol said his name like he was touching silk; Soft, drapey and undeniably sensual. It captured Sehun's heart in less than a second. “It's been a while.”

“Yes.” Sehun forced out in a gaspy voice. “It has.” He willed himself not to overreact; not to let this whole situation take over his rationality. He had to pull himself together. This man was going to be their coach for the next semester. If he was going to win over the other two coaches, he'd have to seriously up his game.

And not get involved with the man who made his knees go weak.

“You're still skating.” Chanyeol noted, giving Sehun a slow and breath-taking once-over.

“Yeah.” Sehun responded, wanting to look away but finding himself unable to do so. “It's my – It's my dream. I could never stop.”

Chanyeol smiled, ever so coyly. “No,” He said. “I suppose you couldn't.”

The doors behind Sehun swung open, and several boys from before made their way to where both he and Chanyeol were standing. It was an obvious sign, even for somebody as daft to romance as Sehun was – This was the end of the conversation. He hated himself for hating the thought. Just those few words exchanged managed to affect him so strongly.

“Well,” Chanyeol said, nodding. “I'll see you in the ring then.”

Sehun swallowed. “Yeah.”

“I'm looking forward to it.”

“You are?” Sehun instantly regretted asking the question the second he realized he did.

Chanyeol's face – his angelic and beautiful and inhuman face – broke into a mischievous smile. It lightened up his entire persona. Sehun found himself staring, and unable to stop himself from doing so. “I am.”

He turned around, giving Sehun one last breath-taking once-over, and walked away. The whole situation, the whole day in itself, had been a roller-coaster of emotions. But beneath it all he felt himself breathless at the one thing he hadn't expect to feel all day. An undeniable sense of want to prove himself to everybody around him that he was a good skater. No – that wasn't it.

An undeniable sense of dominance that sought to show his competitors he owned the ring,

And the man standing behind it.

He looked over to where Chanyeol stood with Xiumin and Luna a few paces away. Chanyeol was staring at him. With a hungry look that drove Sehun crazy.

It was a taint. A curse. A corruption too far entangled to ever weed out.

And for that one single moment, Sehun reveled in its power, and sucked it in dry.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

By the time Sehun got home, he was exhausted.

It wasn't so much the physical attribute of the day that got to him – After all, all they did was take turns skating around the ring to get used to the feel of their new skates – but more so the emotional trauma that wrecked his body with an intense amount of power he barely believed existed.

He just wanted to sleep. It was a lovely sentiment that he repeated on his way home. The thought of laying down and closing his eyes and drifting into completely oblivion for a few hours appealed to him like never before. He yearned for rest. His body, his mind, and his heart yearned for rest.

Taking off his shoes, he decided to step out of his comfort zone and, for the first time in a long time, go see what his mother was doing. So he headed towards the living room, where the television was on. He could just barely hear the laughter of a sitcom playing, before he appeared before his mother as she sat motionless on the couch with her eyes shut and her breathing slow.

The light was dim; The only source came from the television itself. She must've fallen asleep, he concluded. And that could only mean that she'd forgotten to make dinner for him.

Sighing, he stood where he was silently and debated with himself on whether or not he wanted to eat at all. The thought of going out at this time of the night to buy food seemed unnecessary. He was exhausted. And he wasn't _that_ hungry to begin with.

But his better judgement got ahold of him. He knew that, in order to retain the perfect fitness for an ice skater, and to maintain the stamina and energy he needed to skate tomorrow, he required food. And lots of it.

So he turned back around, swung his bag on to the bottom of the staircase, wore his shoes, and left the house. The closest convenience store was about two blocks away. If he was adamant, he'd be able to reach it in less than 5 minutes. But he was lackadaisical and tired. So, he realized, he'd probably reach it in 8 minutes.

The thought made him feel even more tired.

With a sigh and a groan that, he admitted, was a little too loud for comfort, he forced his feet to go onwards, ignoring the slight pain he felt on the back of his heel. Breaking in new skates always resulted in blisters, but usually, though he would deny himself the privilege of voicing it out loud, he felt a certain comfort in them. As if those blisters were there to remind him that he had accomplished something.

He took his time in the convenience store. Now that he'd left the house anyways, no need to hurry back and unnecessarily waste even more energy. He'd much rather enjoy the night breeze as it is. Illinois wasn't quite known for having great weather. But, on occasion, there were nights like these. Nights that made him feel at peace with himself.

He approached the counter, holding a bowl of instant miso soup and hishio seasoning on his right hand with his left scrolling through the contents of his phone. There were several messages from Kai, groaning and whining about how badly today went, even though he probably scored a 10/10 on a day when they weren't even being scored. Sehun clicked his tongue and looked up at the line in front of him.

His eyes widened instantly at the sight of Luhan standing two people away, thanking the pretty cashier generously with a charming smile that only he could ever pull off. The first reaction from Sehun was a direct groan and roll of the eyes, but soon he found himself staring, despite his better reasoning telling him not to.

Luhan looked as if he'd just woken up, with his hair sticking out in all different places. It'd almost be funny, had the boy not pull the look off so well.

Sehun watched, silently, and seemingly spitefully, as Luhan turned around and left the store.

Why was it, he wondered, that they kept bumping into each other in this part of the town? It wasn't as if they lived anywhere close to each other...

Right?

He shook the thought away, and proceeded down the line. Once it was his turn, he placed both the bowl of miso soup and the packet of hishio seasoning onto the counter in front of him, and dug into his pocket in search for his wallet. Shock and dread hit him like a bus when he realized that his wallet was not in his pocket. He looked down, jaw slack, and gaped at the empty hole.

Holy shit.

He'd left his wallet in his bag.

He looked back up at the cashier, who was waiting patiently with the kind of look you'd expect from an interviewed celebrity, and then back down at his pocket.

“Oh, I–” He stuttered, trying to get ahold of his words. “I don't seem to have brought my wallet.” He wasn't sure why he was trying to explain his dilemma. It wasn't as if the cashier's going to miraculously allow him to leave with the food, and write his name down on the list of their customer's debts.

The cashier still smiled, though she looked confused. “Are you going to pay by cash, sir?”

“Um, no, I–” He started panicking. He couldn't just – just leave without the food! What about dinner? He walked all the way here for miso soup! “I think I'm gonna–”

“Go by cash.” Sehun jumped, and whirled around – Only to face the one guy he least expected. Luhan stood behind him, grinning like a wild cat that had just caught its prey, and offered his hand. He handed the cashier a ten dollar bill. “That's enough, right?”

The cashier nodded. “It's perfect, sir.” She took the money and made the exchange.

All the while, Sehun couldn't keep his eyes off the boy who'd pay for his long-desired miso soup dinner. He had _no_ idea where he came from. He assumed he'd left already. Did he see Sehun from before? Why'd he even come back? To taunt Sehun about his embarrassing episode? To steal his precious miso soup?

The cashier handed Luhan the change, along with the miso soup and hishio seasoning inside a plastic bag. He looked at Sehun once, before turning around and leaving through the automated double-doors. Pulled out of his momentary shock, Sehun dashed forward and caught up with Luhan outside the store. Unfortunately, Luhan kept walking, not once turning back to offer the bag of food to Sehun. Looks like Sehun's assumption was right – Luhan _had_ come back to steal his food!

“Hey!” Sehun called out, forcing his legs forward at a pace he'd rather not go. “What the heck was that about?”

When Luhan spoke, Sehun could just barely hear hints of discernible sarcasm. “Whaddya mean? I didn't do anything.”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “You just come in to pay for every other guy's dinner?”

Luhan finally stopped. And when he did he turned around so abruptly Sehun stopped short almost only a hand's distance away from him. He could smell Luhan's scent – an intoxicating aroma of... home?

A smile stretched through his face. “Just the ones who make complete fools of themselves.”

Sehun allowed himself the satisfaction of glaring. “I had that situation completely under control.”

“Oh yeah?” Luhan laughed, and reached out to touch Sehun's empty pocket. “Cause it looked like you forgot your wallet back home.”

Sehun slapped his hand away, scoffing. “Did not!” He hesitated, before adding, “I could've sworn I had it in my pocket.”

Luhan chuckled and used his index finger to raise Sehun's head by the chin. “Little Oh Sehun can never do anything right. It's a wonder how you survived childhood.”

Sehun snarled and pushed his hand away, despite the strange sensation devouring his skin at the spot where Luhan had touched. “You're not any better, jackass. Last time I checked your sense of direction sucked big time, you probably can't even tell the moon from the sun.”

“Oh! Well,” Luhan shrugged. “I admit it, at least. I'm open about myself. Honest. You should try it sometimes.” He said. “Saves yourself a lot of trouble.”

Sehun resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He eyed the plastic bag by Luhan's left hand longingly, cautiously, before exhaling loudly through his nose and turning back to Luhan. “I really want my miso soup.”

“ _Your_ miso soup?” Luhan took a step back and raised the plastic bag up to flaunt at Sehun's face. “Who was the one who paid for it?”

Sehun colored. “That's not fair! I got it first!”

Luhan laughed, and shook his head. “God, you're adorable when you're mad.”

Sehun colored even more. “You cannot say that, you little shit! Give me back my miso soup or I swear I will hunt you down!”

“Violent.” Luhan said, grinning. “It's kinda kinky.” A laugh followed, but Sehun swore he heard some sort of implication in his words.

Sehun took a moment's pause to analyze the other boy's behavior. He was incredibly childish, but at the same time so devious and charming in a mature way; the combination was sick. He figured, that the best way to go around this, was to walk away. A child, no matter the age, craved for attention. If Sehun denied him this right, he'd surely come looking after it, right?

“Fine.” He said, albeit a little hesitantly. “You can have the miso soup then.” He brushed past Luhan, and made his way down the street. Without his food.

He could just barely hear Luhan's disgruntled gasp behind him as he walked, but he ignored it. A child craved attention, right?

For a moment, he heard no movement behind him. He began to wonder if he'd assumed wrong. Just as he came to the decision to give up and turn around and plead for his miso soup because he was seriously freaking hungry, he heard footsteps behind him. Coming towards him fast.

Before he realized it, Luhan was in front of him, holding his hands out and grabbing Sehun by the shoulders, preventing him from going any further. Sehun just barely felt his heart jump up to his throat, before he heard Luhan's voice penetrate his shock.

“I'm sorry!” He was smiling apologetically, but his eyes were sincere. His eyes were so sincere Sehun couldn't help but hold his breath. “I didn't mean to make you mad! Here, you can have the miso soup back.” To prove he was serious, he pushed the plastic bag towards Sehun's face, causing the boy's head to jerk backwards.

This reaction – Sehun hadn't expected it at all. He had his doubts on the matter, but he was fairly certain Luhan would react to him walking away. But to think it'd affect him this much... The thought made Sehun feel incredibly giddy.

“Luhan–”

“Shhh!” Luhan pressed the plastic bag to Sehun's disgruntled face. “Take the food, Sehun.”

Despite his obviously strange position, Sehun couldn't help but smile. This entire weird situation was the funniest thing he's ever experienced.

“Stop pressing the damn bag onto my face, you idiot!” Sehun pulled Luhan's arm down, and stared right into his fair, divine face. For a moment, he found himself unable to speak.

Luhan threw him a small, but not any less charming, smile. At first, he seemed at a loss for words as well. But finally, as time slowed down to an agonizing pace, he took a short breath, and leaned in – just slightly. “Your eyes–” His voice was barely to a whisper. “–are really amazing.”

This was the first time Luhan ever said anything nice to Sehun. It was the first time he's ever been anything other than antagonistic. It was the first time Sehun's felt any sort of emotion besides spiteful lust towards the guy. They'd always engage in arguments, debates, diatribes – now they were in an entirely different situation. It put them both in a proposition, that neither was willing to accept. 

Sehun drew a slow breath, and swallowed. “Why'd you pay for my miso soup, Luhan?”

Luhan blinked twice, before parting his chaste lips, and responding with a soft, “Because of a compulsion.”

Sehun furrowed his brows. “What?”

Luhan pulled away, just slightly, before finally letting go of Sehun completely. The loss of contact felt almost like a physical unburdening. It was the strangest, most obvious and compelling thing Sehun had ever felt.

Luhan brought the plastic bag back up to Sehun's face, and smiled. “You're welcome.”

Luhan was an arrogant asshole.

But he bought Sehun his dinner.

In a very, very embarrassing moment.

Sehun reached out and grabbed the bag, finding himself a little timid at the thought of looking Luhan straight in the eye. “Thanks.” He mumbled. “You're the reason I won't die of starvation tonight.”

“Your mum isn't home?” Luhan asked.

Sehun shrugged and said, “Barely. I mean, I guess she is, physically. But–” He stopped short of his sentence, momentarily wondering why he was even elaborating about his family life to begin with. He never liked talking about his parents. “Forget it. It's no big deal.”

“Oh yeah?” Luhan's gaze followed Sehun's body as he moved past him. “I saw your mum once. At the camp. I remember she dropped you off.”

Sehun tried his best to ignore him (because after everything that had happened between them, his body felt unbelievably exhausted of its energy), but he couldn't. Luhan was now walking beside him. For whatever absurd reason Sehun failed to realize.

“Oh right,” He said. “It was the only time she offered to take me anywhere since–” He paused, and once again, stopped short. The exhaustion was messing with his head – He wasn't supposed to talk about his family.

But Luhan was curious. He was curious, and Lord knows he was persistent. “Since?” He tilted his head slightly. “Since what?”

“Nothing.” Sehun mumbled, throwing Luhan a short glance.

“Right. Cause I'm gonna believe that.” Luhan mused.

Sehun sighed. “Why're you even interested in my family life, anyways? It's a boring, draggy tale.”

“I doubt anything about you is 'boring' and 'draggy'.” Luhan said, laughing. “A skater can't possibly be that boring.”

Sehun shot him a wry smile. “Oh yeah? Speaking from experience?”

“Pure experience.” Luhan nodded. “After all, I'm the most interesting person I know!”

“But you're not a skater.”

“I skate on ice. It's the same thing.”

“No. Get your sports right.”

Luhan laughed, a chesty sound, and nudged Sehun on the shoulder. “Don't think of deflecting the question, Senshine.”

Oh, Sehun _hated_ that nickname.

“I'm not deflecting the question, Prince Asshole.”

Luhan _didn't_ hate the nickname. “That's actually kinda cool.”

“No, it isn't.” Sehun deadpanned.

Luhan rolled his eyes, and gasped when his gaze landed on a bright star in the sky. He grabbed Sehun's forearm and pointed upwards. “Look at that!”

Sehun looked up, and had to squint his eyes a few times to actually realize what Luhan was talking about. “A star?” Oh yeah, Sehun was extremely fascinated.

Luhan snorted. “Not just any star, you idiot. It's the brightest one in the sky.” He let go of Sehun's arm and chuckled. “My dad used to tell me that if you catch the brightest star at first glance, you're definitely gonna have a great week.”

Sehun said, “Your dad lied. It's natural instincts for our eyes to get attracted to the brightest thing on a dark silhouette.” He said this as be continued walking, in a monotonous voice only he could pull off.

Luhan stared as he went, jaw slack, eyes wide, and caught up to him with the same expression. Sehun didn't wanna admit he found the look absolutely hilarious, because that would mean he actually cared. “You're kidding, right?”

“Kidding about what?” Sehun asked.

“About–” Lehun did a dramatic gesture with his arms. “–this! About the stars! About everything!”

Sehun actually laughed. “Going a bit overboard on one star, aren't we?”

Luhan stepped in front of Sehun, stopping him from going any further. He grabbed his shoulders and glared him down. The look couldn't be any less threatening. “Don't even joke around here.”

Sehun pouted unknowingly. “You have to stop grabbing me like this.”

 Luhan pulled back for a moment, surprised. At what? Sehun wasn't so sure. What was there to be surprised about? Yet Luhan's cheeks colored nonetheless, and a look of almost innocent infatuation came over his expression. After a second, however, he quickly recovered, and reengaged with just as much, if not more, conviction. “You can't _not_ believe in stars, Sehun. I mean, just cause you're a bad skater, doesn't mean you gotta be pessimistic about everythi–”

“Woah, woah, woah, did you just call me a bad skater?”

Luhan flat-out ignored him. “You have to believe in something, right? Maybe not stars. How about aliens? Bigfoot? The Lochness monster?”

“Your immaturity is baffling.”

“And your realism is gag-worthy.” Luhan pulled away and crossed his arms, a disappointed and irritated look painted across his child-like face. Sehun considered laughing at it, but decided against it. “Had your parents _never_ taught you to believe in these things?”

Sehun paused, and inhaled shortly. “No.”

That short moment of hesitation alone was enough of a white flag. But Luhan was smart enough not to bring it up.

“Well then, I am.” He grabbed his wrist, and pulled him down the street. “I'm gonna teach you all about the greatest things in life! Even though you're a loser with no skill in skating whatsoever.”

Sehun snarled, but didn't attempt to pull his hand away. Luhan's skin felt warm on his own. “Remind me again why we're doing this.”

“Because,” Luhan threw him a glance from over his shoulder and grinned. Sehun felt his body warm at the very sight. “You've spent your entire life with your feet on ice. Tonight I'm gonna show you what it's like to have your head in the clouds.”

The horrible truth was that Sehun felt almost exhilarated. The thought of learning something new – something that he'd never ever think of in the narrow walls of his rationalistic mind – excited him more than he'd ever admit. He knew that it was silly. He knew that he'd never truly believe in this. But he wanted to. He wanted to, because Luhan did. And the joy he saw in Luhan's eyes when he talked about what he believed in made him wonder if he could ever achieve such conviction in an unproven faith. Despite his earlier exhaustion that had enveloped him in a bubble of unaware brood, he now floated over the ground in an invisible chamber created by stars.

And surprisingly, though not unpleasantly,

Luhan led the way. 


End file.
